By Noela EBOB BISONG
The October 12 Presidential election as observed by President Biya, was “organised and conducted satisfactorily”. However, the post-election violence that resulted in the loss of lives, injuries, destruction of properties and arrests, sounded a contrary alarm. Also of prime notice has been the somewhat “sluggish” nature of wishes to Biya for his eighth term, after 43-years in office.
Worthy of note is world power, the United States of America, which quickly congratulated the re-elected president of Côté D’Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara recently, but didn’t do so for Cameroon’s Paul Biya. It was until after the oath-taking ceremony last November 6, when a message released by the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde, read that, “The United States congratulates President Paul Biya on his inauguration. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with Cameroon to advance shared goals such as regional peace and security and prosperity for both our peoples.” This however came many days after the proclamation of Biya’s victory last October 27.
Pundits have thus been quick to alert that the United States seems to be in a struggle between loyalty to partnership ties and upholding the notion of democracy.
Last November 4, some members of the US Congress addressed a statement to the US Secretary of State, Hon. Marco Rubio, on the ongoing situation in Cameroon after the October 12 Presidential election. According to the statement signed by Congress members – Jonathan Jackson and Sydney Dove, the Secretary of State has been entreated to:
-Urge the Cameroonian government to release all political prisoners, respect fundamental freedoms and the will of its people
-Hold perpetrators of crimes and human rights violations accountable, including security personnel implicated in unlawful killings and arbitrary arrests
-Preserve peace by urging all parties – government, opposition and civil society – to refrain from violence and engage in non-violent dispute resolution
-Support inclusive political dialogue, with mediation by regional or international partners, to defuse tensions and facilitate a peaceful presidential transition.
The authors of the statement noted that, “The disqualification of main opposition leader, Maurice Kamto… the arbitrary arrest and detention of opposition supporters, journalists and activists ahead of the elections were a serious erosion of democratic norms and principles required for free and fair elections.”
The statement also pointed that, “On election day, reports of pre-stuffed ballots, individuals voting multiple times, and tabulation inconsistencies in Douala, Bamenda and Garoua further undermined confidence in Cameroon’s election process.”